Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are a family of ligand-gated ion channels found at the neuromuscular junction as well as throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. In humans, 16 different nAChR subunits have been identified and include α1-α7, α9-α10, β1-4, δ, ε and γ (Lindstrom, 1995. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in “Handbook of Receptors and Channels: Ligand- and Voltage-Gated Ion Channels.” Edited by R. Alan North. CRC Press, Inc.). These subunits can co-assemble to form numerous homo- and heteropentameric subtypes which in turn are characterized by distinct ligand-binding and pharmacologic properties (Lindstrom, 1995).
The α7 nAChR subtype has been reported to play a role in several diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) including Alzheimer's disease (Wang et al, J. Biol. Chem. 275(8): 5626-32 (2000), Kem, Brain Biol. Res. 113(1-2): 169-81 (2000)), schizophrenia (Adler et al, Schizophr Bull 24(2):189-202 (1998)), Parkinson's disease (Quik et al, Eur J Pharm 393(1-3) 223-30 (2000)) and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (Wilens et al, Am J Psychiatry 156(12): 1931-7 (1999), Levin et al, Eur J Pharmacol. 393(1-3): 141-6 (2000)). Selective agonists of the α7 nAChR subtype have therefore been proposed as useful for the treatment of these and other central nervous system conditions (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,110,914, 5,902,814, 6,599,916, 6,432,975; Kem et al, Behav. Brain Res. 113(1-2): 169-81 (2000), Martin et al, Psychopharmacology (Berl.), 174(1):54-64 (2004).
The α7 nAChR subtype has also recently been shown to have involvement in the inflammatory response (Wang et al, Nature, 421(6921):384-8 (2003)). Wang et al demonstrated that activation of the α7 nAChR inhibits the release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), from macrophage cells and confers protection against lethality in a murine model of sepsis. Selective agonists/partial agonists of α7 nAChRs have been demonstrated to have utility as anti-inflammatory agents by inhibiting the release of TNF-α and other proinflammatory cytokines (WO 2004/052365 A2).
Given the therapeutic potential of α7 nAChR agonists in the treatment of inflammatory conditions, CNS conditions as well as other deleterious conditions, there remains a need in the art for additional α7 nAChR agonists.